


I will carry you over fire and water

by tmh98



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Authors are sorry for any emotional distress, F/F, Found Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Toni and Martha deserve the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29069265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmh98/pseuds/tmh98
Summary: Young pushes the door open and she smiles immediately at the warm breeze that hits her face. Toni allows herself to enjoy it for a moment until she’s interrupted. “Toni, I’m going to get the other girls.”Her eyes snap towards his in disbelief. “You’re… what?” She’s gonna get to see everyone?“I need you to stay here, okay? I’ll bring everyone one at a time,” He’s already walking back towards the door.“Wait,” Toni says, still not sure if this is real. “I get to see everyone?” She feels her voice shake with emotion as she says it.“Yes,” Agent Young responds. “You’re still not supposed to be seeing each other, but I think it’s been long enough. Don’t you?”Toni nods, huffing out a soft laugh. The door closes, and he’s gone. Gone to get her friends. No, her family. She’s gonna see them. She’s gonna see them. Marty, Shelby, everyone.The girls finally reunite in the bunker... but not everyone is there.
Relationships: Martha Blackburn & Toni Shalifoe, Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 8
Kudos: 104





	I will carry you over fire and water

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoy - more to come! xx

Toni had never felt this bored and restless in her life. At least when they were on the island they were never still for too long. Her makeshift basketball hoop was doing nothing to soothe her need to get up and just _do something._ Ever since the alarms a few nights ago and the loud footsteps outside her door, Toni couldn’t stop thinking about the others. Were they okay? Were they safe? Where was Shelby? Where was _Martha?_ She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen her since the island. But Martha had promised she would see her soon, and Martha never broke a promise. Toni’s heart hurts briefly thinking about their last day on the island.

_The Last Day_

“Why the fuck do you wanna go with her, Marty? She’s the reason we’re here,” Toni reminds her. 

“I know, but… She shouldn’t be alone out there,” Martha responds, always one to forgive and forget. 

Toni sighs, knowing she won’t be able to convince her friend to let Nora go off alone in search of food. Ever since Leah told everyone she was in on the experiment - she still shudders at the thought that this is all some sick, twisted experiment - everyone’s been avoiding her. Unless they were yelling at her. Or digging for answers. Or Martha. 

Toni is about to tell Martha to be careful when she hears a couple of the other girls start screaming. At first Toni worries that there’s been another attack, or another girl has been hurt, but then she looks out at the water and sees the selection of boats heading straight for the island. The other girls are hugging each other, running towards the water, screaming with joy. 

Toni just stands there in shock, disbelief, until Martha throws her arms around her from behind. Toni turns to hug her back just as tightly. She finally, finally lets herself get excited. The boats are still headed their way. They’re actually, really, finally going home. They made it. 

She holds Martha until the boats make it to the shore, and the two finally make their way over. She hears Fatin say something about wanting to kiss one of the men who’s getting off the boat, and she laughs. Dot has started to pack up what little belongings they have. Nora stands off to the side, unsure of what to do. 

There’s a lot of people talking at once, and Toni has trouble following it, until one of their rescuers finally manages to shush them. “We can leave as soon as possible, but we can only fit two on each boat. I need you guys to get whatever you’re taking and pair up,” Toni quickly grabs Martha’s hand, squeezing it tightly and not letting go. The man continues to speak. “Anyone who needs medical attention should leave first, okay?”

“You guys go first,” Dot tells Rachel and Shelby. Dot goes to help Shelby stumble over to one of the boats, while Fatin holds onto Rachel’s hand. Toni looks at Shelby and notices that, much like with the plane, the girl looks more scared than she does excited. Toni can tell the smile she has plastered on her face is fake. There’s a flicker of fear in her eyes that you’d only notice if you were paying attention. Toni was paying attention. Toni lets go of Martha to meet up with Shelby before she can get on the boat. 

“Hey,” Toni says softly, resting her hand gently on Shelby’s arm to get her attention. 

The two girls look into each other’s eyes for a moment and Toni can see the moment when Shelby realizes that Toni understands. That Toni sees her fear and understands. Toni pulls Shelby into a tight hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” Toni manages to say. 

Shelby pulls her in tighter. “You better,” She responds, and manages a small laugh. Even now, Toni can’t help but want to make Shelby smile. The two hold each other for a moment longer before separating. Toni grabs onto Shelby’s hand, helping her up the ladder, and lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when she’s safely inside. Toni vaguely hears Nora calling for Rachel’s attention and she’s being put in the boat.

“Rach? Rachel, please. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Nora pleads with her sister. Rachel finally looks at Nora.

“Yeah, whatever, Nor. See ya,” She grumbles before turning to sit with her back to everyone. Toni looks over to see Nora looking down sadly at her feet. 

The boat engine roars, and Toni looks back to smile sadly at Shelby as they turn away. Shelby gives a small wave as they start to drive off. 

“Who’s next?” One of the other rescuers asks, and Fatin grabs onto Leah’s hand. 

“We’ll go,” She announces, then turns around to face the others. “If that’s okay?” 

“Of course,” Dot says, and Martha nods enthusiastically next to her. The girls can tell Leah has kind of shut down. After spending all this time together on the island together, they have all started to be able to read eachother better than just about anyone else in their lives. It’s come in handy a time or two. Leah’s whole body is tense and she looks about two seconds away from a breakdown that they all know by now only really Fatin can get through to.

As Dot gives Fatin and Leah a hand, Toni notices Martha looking sadly at Nora, who still stands alone. “Hey,” Martha says to Toni. “Why don’t you go with Dot next?” Toni is about to cut her off when she continues. “I’ll go with Nora.” 

“What?” Toni interjects. “No way, not happening.” There’s no way she’s leaving this island with anyone other than Martha by her side. 

“Toni, please. Nora has no one. Her own sister just left and barely said a word to her,” Martha pleads, her eyes wide with sadness. 

“Marty, I love that you don’t want her to be alone, but she did this to herself. And, besides, I’m not leaving without you.” Toni is worried that this is going to be a losing battle. When it comes to doing things to help someone else, it’s hard to talk Martha down. But she’s determined not to let it happen this time. “Come on,” Toni practically begs. “Let’s go get your suitcase and get on the next boat.” 

Dot makes her way over to the two, and Toni turns to see the boat with Fatin and Leah has already started leaving. “Hey, so…” Dot trails off, motioning off to Nora. 

“I’m gonna go with her,” Martha states, and Toni’s heart falls at just how determined she sounds. 

Dot looks at Toni in understanding. “Marty…” Toni tries again. 

“Toni, you and Dot can go now. Seriously, I’ll be okay with her.” And deep down, Toni knows that part is true. There’s no way Toni could handle herself alone with Nora, and Dot wouldn’t be able to either. Something about this “trip” being the last thing her dad gave her. Toni doesn’t quite understand it, but Dot has been absolutely devastated ever since she learned about what’s actually been going on. 

“I’ll give you guys a sec,” Dot says to the two of them. “Meet you at the boat?” This is just to Toni, and she knows that there’s no going back. She has to leave without Martha. 

Toni manages to nod at Dot, before turning back to her best friend. “Marty, I…” She says, but doesn’t know what else to say. 

Martha wraps her in a hug, and Toni hugs her back just as tight. “I’ll see you soon, I promise,” Martha says, softly. And Toni feels a small ounce of relief at that, because Marty has never broken a promise to her. 

Toni pulls Martha in even tighter. “I love you, Marty,” She whispers in her ear, feeling tears well up in her eyes. 

“I love you too,” Martha responds. The two hold each other for a moment longer before pulling away. “Please, go. I’ll be right behind you.” 

The two walk hand in hand toward the boat where Dot is waiting. Martha pulls Dot into a hug. “Thank you,” Toni hears Martha tell her. 

“Wait!” Toni turns around at the sound of Nora’s voice, and she sees the girl running over. Nora stops in front of Toni. “I’ll make sure she’s okay,” Nora promises, and she says it so genuinely that Toni allows herself to believe her. She nods at Nora, hoping she can convey a thank you. 

“Alright girls, let’s go,” a voice instructs. Toni notices that this is a woman speaking to them, one of their rescuers. She’s barely been paying attention to their saviors. She manages to find the one who’ll be taking Martha. A man, with a scar on his cheek. He’s not paying any attention to her, but Toni silently begs him to take care of her best friend. 

Her best friend who she knows she has to leave behind. It’s not like they’ve never said goodbye before. But it’s never been like this. They haven’t just been living together, like back in Minnesota. They’ve been surviving together. And Toni has almost lost Martha one too many times to ever want to let her out of her sight again. 

Martha, of course, knows exactly what Toni is thinking. “Toni, I promise. I’ll see you soon. I’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.” She says it with so much sincerity. 

Toni finds herself hugging Martha again, and tries to remember everything about her. The faded scent of pears, the way her loving arms seem to protect her from the world, the way her lips feel against her head when they press against her hair in a kiss. If Toni didn’t have to, she’s sure she would never, ever stop hugging her. But the woman driving the boat clears her throat impatiently, and Martha, always a people-pleaser, squeezes Toni one last time before letting her go. 

The two look at each other, both with tears falling down their dirty cheeks, for a moment, before Dot starts climbing the boat’s ladder. And Toni knows, she knows, that in just a few seconds she’ll have to follow. But for now, she looks at her best friend, the only reason she ever survived this place, the only reason she survived a lot of things before even getting here. Toni breaks her gaze for a split second to see that Dot is now seated in the boat and she has to go, she has to go, she has to go without her. 

Martha nods at her, and Toni nods back. It means a million things, including the knowledge that now is the moment they have to leave each other. Toni pulls herself up the ladder, finding a seat next to Dot, as the woman climbs in swiftly and turns on the boat. The engine is loud, but Toni knows Martha will be able to hear her. “Bye,” She says, simply, her voice raspier than usual. 

“Bye,” Martha responds, and Toni sees her lips move more than she hears her because the boat is already driving away from her. 

Toni watches Martha’s silhouette as long as she can. She tells herself that the bad feeling she has about this is simply because the optimist in her life is so far away and getting farther. She tries to focus on the feel of the boat driving across the water, the way Dot smiles at her in disbelief, the water that splashes up and reaches her fingertips as they hold onto the edge of the boat. She tries to focus on anything that will make her forget that she just left the island without her person. 

Nora’s POV

Nora watches Martha’s face fall somehow even more as the boat drives off. The two stand there watching it drive off into the distance. Nora’s heart swells, mad at herself for knowing about the experiment, wishing Rachel would just forgive her, jealous that Martha and Toni are more like sisters than it feels like she and Rachel will ever be. 

Martha finally turns around. She looks at Nora, and manages a smile. “You ready to get out of here?” She asks, and Nora smiles back. At least there’s one person left in this world that doesn’t hate her. 

Nora nods at her. Martha grabs her suitcase and starts to make her way over to the boat. “Alright, girls,” their rescuer says. “I’m Alex. Let’s get you out of here.” He takes the suitcase from Martha and throws it over the side of the boat. 

“You can go first, Nora,” Martha says, stepping aside for her. Nora smiles gratefully at her, hoping it can convey her appreciation for still treating her with kindness. 

Nora carefully climbs up the ladder, hesitating for a second on the wobbly last step, letting out a relieved sigh when she makes it into the boat. She finds a seat just behind the drivers’, and looks out at the water in front of her. Suddenly, a shriek is followed by a crash, and Nora whips her head around to see that Martha is nowhere to be found. 

“Oh my god,” Alex says, rushing towards the ladder. Nora stands up and looks over the edge, terrified of what she might find. The top rung of the ladder has snapped, there’s blood on the side of the boat, and… Martha’s lying in the water. Blood pools around her head, and Alex is holding her so she doesn’t slip under. “Oh my god, not again. Not again.”

Nora has no idea what he’s talking about. Her heart starts beating out of her chest, and she can’t pull in any air. “Here, here,” She manages to say to Alex, holding her arms outstretched towards him, hoping he gets the message. Somehow, he does. He lifts Martha’s unconscious body up to Nora, who tries her best to pull her onto the boat beside her. Nora manages to act as a cushion, falling onto her back on the bottom of the boat, Martha on top of her. Alex is up the boat in no time, turning it on, and speeding away. Nora just holds Martha’s head in her lap, hoping that she can provide comfort.

“Is she still breathing?” Alex yells behind him, and Nora holds her breath. Fingers fumbling, she manages to place them against Martha’s neck and closes her eyes when she feels a pulse. 

“Yeah, yeah she is,” Nora responds, hoping he can hear her over the wind. Then, she turns down to the girl in her lap and strokes her hair, careful to avoid where it’s bleeding in the back. “It’s okay, Martha. Just hang in there,” She whispers, hoping some part of her knows she’s not alone. 

_Present_

Toni is just about to shoot again when a knock on her door makes her freeze. Before she can ask, a voice comes through the crack.

“Toni? It’s Agent Young,” She hears. 

“Come in,” She responds, unsure of what else to say. She thought she was done being interviewed, but maybe they need more information. 

The door opens to reveal Agent Young without his usual folder or notebook in hand. “Toni, sorry to bother you.” His voice is quieter than usual, his eyes sad but determined. “I need you to come with me. Quietly.” 

Wordlessly, Toni stands up and makes her way over. “Where are we going?” She asks Agent Young. 

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” He says, voice almost a whisper. “Just follow me.”

Not sure if she should be scared or excited, Toni follows the man. They wind through hallways she’s never seen, passing through many closed doors. Toni wonders if any of her friends are behind any of them. 

Agent Young stops in front of a door that seems to lead to a little outdoor area. Suddenly, Toni’s heart starts pounding. She hasn’t been outside in days. Weeks. Months. She doesn’t even know how long it’s been. 

Young pushes the door open and she smiles immediately at the warm breeze that hits her face. Toni allows herself to enjoy it for a moment until she’s interrupted. “Toni, I’m going to get the other girls.” 

Her eyes snap towards his in disbelief. “You’re… what?” She’s gonna get to see everyone? 

“I need you to stay here, okay? I’ll bring everyone one at a time,” He’s already walking back towards the door. 

“Wait,” Toni says, still not sure if this is real. “I get to see everyone?” She feels her voice shake with emotion as she says it. 

“Yes,” Agent Young responds. “You’re still not supposed to be seeing each other, but I think it’s been long enough. Don’t you?” 

Toni nods, huffing out a soft laugh. The door closes, and he’s gone. Gone to get her friends. No, her family. She’s gonna see them. _She’s gonna see them. Marty, Shelby, everyone._

It feels like ages before the door finally starts to open again. Toni hasn’t moved an inch. Her heart pounds with excitement.

Agent Young enters the outdoor area, Dot right behind him. Dot’s eyes widen in shock, relief, happiness, and she’s in front of Toni in an instant, pulling her into a hug. Toni lets herself fall into it, hugging her back, soaking in the first human contact she’s had in what feels like forever. 

“Toni, oh my god,” Dot is saying. “Are you okay?” 

Toni nods against her shoulder. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Are you?”

“I’m fucking great, now,” Dot responds, and Toni laughs. The two finally pull apart. Toni breaks eye contact briefly to see Agent Young smiling at them before he turns around to get someone else. Her heart flutters at the thought.

“I…” Toni looks for something to say, but doesn’t know where to start. “This is real, right?” She decides on, because she needs to make sure. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if this is also just another test.

“It better be,” Dot says, and the smile still hasn’t left her face. “Did they interview you already?”

“Yeah,” She nods, her eyes darting back and forth between Dot and the door behind her. “You?”

“Yup. They got me a ton of food, too.” 

Toni’s eyes meet Dot’s again. “For real?” 

Dot nods. “They didn’t give you any?”

“I mean, I got Takis. From the vending machine,” She clarifies, now kind of jealous that Dot got actual food. 

“Well shit, that’s weird. I didn’t even see a vending machine,” Dot says, and Toni is about to respond when the door opens again. Dot turns around at the sound. Toni is sure she must be able to hear her heart pounding in anticipation. 

“Hey, bitches!” Toni hears Fatin before she sees her. Then, both Fatin and Agent Young are outside with the others. Fatin is pulling Dot into a hug, and then reaches out to bring Toni into it too. “I missed you guys!” Fatin says happily, before stepping back. “My god, you guys look fantastic. Wow, a shower really does a woman wonders, Dorothy!” 

Dot laughs. “Yeah, yeah. You’re not too bad yourself. Although, I never thought I’d see the day you wore something without a slogan on it. Or sequins.” 

Fatin teasingly pushes Dot’s shoulder before turning to Toni. “And look at that hair! Gorgeous.” Toni just laughs. 

“I can’t believe this is finally happening,” Dot says what they’re all thinking. 

“I know, right? I can’t believe they really kept us apart this long. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder…” Fatin’s voice trails off. “And they’re right.” 

The three of them laugh. They’re interrupted by the door opening again, and Rachel pauses in the doorway. “Holy shit.” 

“Yeah,” Dot agrees, making her way over to hug her. 

Toni finds herself staring at Rachel’s hand, or where it used to be. Her mind starts to wander back to the day she lost it, but she quickly pushes it aside. 

Fatin must be thinking the same thing, because she says, “Your hand…” While pulling her into a hug after Dot lets go. 

“I know. It looks sick, right?” Toni finds herself laughing. She never thought they would ever laugh about this, but Rachel actually seems like she’s at peace with it. 

“Yeah, it does,” Toni agrees, and takes her turn hugging Rachel. 

The elephant in the room of course, is Nora. Toni knows none of them wants to bring it up, but the silence is overpowering. “She’s not here.” Rachel breaks it, and of course she was thinking about it too. “I mean, I don’t think so, anyway. They said they have her somewhere else. She’s okay, though. Just… Not here.” Rachel is rambling a bit, but Toni notes that she almost seems sad. The last she’d seen the girl, she was barely talking to her sister. Time changes things, though, and Toni is well aware of that.

“Well, as long as she’s okay,” Fatin finally says, and Toni and Dot both nod in agreement. 

Then, Toni remembers something. “Martha was on the same boat as her. If Nora isn’t here…” She is unable to finish the sentence. 

“Nah, she’s definitely here,” Fatin reassures her. Toni believes her. She has to believe her. Martha _promised._

Toni is too lost in her thoughts to hear the door open this time, but she sees Agent Young reenter and Leah slowly follow him. Toni watches as Leah’s eyes widen, her mouth dropping open. 

“Glad you finally made it,” Fatin welcomes Leah, walking over to pull her outside with the rest of them. Leah still looks like she can’t believe it, but snaps into it as Fatin hugs her. 

“Fatin,” She breathes more than says, and holds her back just as tightly.

As they pull apart, Dot rushes in to embrace Leah, and Toni hears her ask if she’s okay. After, Leah comes over to hug Rachel and Toni quickly, and pulls them all close together. “I found something,” She whispers. “We need to talk, once everyone is here.” 

Toni suddenly remembers. Martha and Shelby are the last two. The next time that door opens it’s going to be one of them. Toni nods to Leah, though she doesn’t know that she wants to get involved, before moving closer to the door. 

Her heart starts pounding again, and she feels jittery, like she does right before a big game. The door clicks open, and Toni stops breathing. 

She hears the sound of crutches, and Shelby hobbles in, head completely shaved, but smiling bigger than she’s ever seen. 

“Toni,” Shelby finds her right away, and makes her way directly over. She lets her crutches drop to the ground, and the two fall into a tight hug. 

“Shelby,” Toni says, immediately transporting back to a feeling of safety, of happiness, of love. Toni pulls back to look Shelby over again, almost feeling like if she kept her eyes closed for too long she might disappear, that they all might disappear and she’d be alone again. Her eyes flick back to Shelby’s lack of hair before making eye contact with Shelby again. She can see the love in her eyes, but there’s also something else. Fear? Discomfort? It takes a minute but then Toni understands. Nerves. 

“Love the new look. It’s very you.” Toni reassures. She watches as the stress leaves Shelby’s shoulders. Toni then remembers something else she wanted to mention to Shelby. “I heard… something about an allergic reaction?” Toni remembers hearing muffled voices in the hall one night, and continuously had to remind herself that she also heard “She’s fine,” several times in the same conversation. Toni brings Shelby close again, relieved that she has proof. She’s fine. She rests her forehead on Shelby’s for comfort.

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Shelby reassures her when they pull back, and Toni briefly scans her with her eyes to see if she’s being honest. When she sees that she is, Toni smiles. “It was for Leah.” 

Toni freezes. “What? What do you mean?” She thinks about how Leah just said she found something. There’s definitely something weird going on… 

The other girls are surrounding them now, and Toni pulls apart to let them say hi. She looks around and stops when she sees Agent Young standing not too far away, and there is no indication that he’ll be leaving again. 

Toni circles around to make sure she didn’t miss something, and, no, of course she didn’t miss her. She’s not here. 

“Why are you still here?” Toni confronts Agent Young, moving to stand just a couple of feet away from him. 

“Toni,” Shelby reprimands, but Toni doesn’t care that she’s being rude. She only cares about one thing right now. 

“What do you mean?” Agent Young responds, and Toni feels anger boil up inside of her. 

“What? I mean that you have to go get her,” Toni says, and she knows her voice is getting louder but she can’t control it. She can feel the other girls inching closer, trying to figure out what’s going on. 

“This is everyone,” He says, as if that solves everything. 

“No, it’s not,” And Toni’s fists ball up at her sides. She feels herself begin to shake. “There’s one more.” 

“I’m sorry, Toni. This is it,” His voice is steady, way too calm, but he fidgets as if he’s uncomfortable. 

“Oh my god, Martha isn’t here,” Shelby says, finally understanding, and moves to stand next to Toni. The other girls are looking around in realization, but Toni only sees red. 

“Where the fuck is she? Go get her!” Toni shouts, and Shelby grabs onto her hand. Toni pulls her hand away so she can get closer to Agent Young. 

“Toni, Toni!” She hears someone say, and feels hands on her shoulders holding her back. Her heart is beating too fast, way too fast, and she can’t pull in a breath, and she’s not here, she’s not here, she’s not fucking here. Toni collapses into the arms of whoever’s holding her, gasping for air. 

“It’s okay, Toni,” Dot’s voice reassures in her ear. “Breathe, breathe,” And Dot exaggerates her breathing so Toni can follow along. 

“She’s supposed to be here, she promised me,” Toni is saying between breaths. “She promised.” Her anger dissolves into sadness, as tears well in her eyes. She’s still breathing too fast, but she tries to match Dot’s example. “Where the fuck is she?” Toni says again, but this time it’s too quiet for anyone but Dot to hear, and her voice cracks. 

It’s usually Martha who calms her down like this. Martha’s the only person in the world who can handle her like this. At this thought, Toni finally breaks down. She turns to bury herself in Dot’s arms, sobbing into her chest. Her hot tears stream down her face, and Dot just holds her closer. 

Toni tunes the rest of the world out, only thinking about Martha and how she’s not here. How Martha has always, always been there. So why isn’t she here now? Too many possibilities race through Toni’s head, not one of them good. 

“You realize Toni isn’t gonna rest until she knows Martha’s okay, right?” Shelby’s voice, laced with anger, accusation, brings her back to the world around her. 

“You know something, I know you do.” Leah. 

“Alright, listen, everybody. I need you to listen,” Agent Young says, and his voice is still too calm, but Toni hears a hint of emotion in it and that’s what makes her finally break out of Dot’s hold and turn around. “I’ll tell you what I know.”  
Toni hurridley stands up on shaky legs, tears still blurring her vision. Her heart starts to beat faster again as she walks closer to where the group crowds around Agent Young. Next to her, Shelby grabs Toni’s hand again, and this time Toni squeezes it back, hard. 

“I don’t have all the details,” Agent Young starts, and Toni squeezes Shelby’s hand again. “Here’s what I do know.” Toni tries hard to focus on his voice instead of her heart beating out of her chest. “There was an accident when Martha and Nora were leaving.” Rachel starts to say something but Agent Young holds up a hand. Toni holds her breath. “Nora wasn’t involved.” Toni wills him not to say anything else. “Martha was.” Her hand falls from Shelby’s grasp. Toni feels lightheaded, the world swirling around her. “Again, I don’t know any details, but it was bad.” Shelby’s arm is around Toni’s shoulders, anchoring her. 

“Like… how bad?” Someone asks, but Toni doesn’t know who. 

“She’s in a coma,” Agent Young says, and Toni would’ve dropped to the floor if Shelby wasn’t there to hold her up. Everyone’s voices ring in her head, but Toni can’t make out a word. All she can do is try to stay on her feet, and she grasps onto Shelby’s shoulder like it’s a lifeline. At this point, she guesses it is. 

_She’s in a coma, she’s in a coma, she’s in a coma._ Agent Young’s words play on a loop in her head, and Toni starts to sob in as she buries herself in Shelby’s arms. “It’s alright, Toni. She’ll be fine,” Shelby is saying to her. But they’re just words. The only thing that would make her feel better right now is her person, but she’s in a fucking coma. 


End file.
